The Fairy and The Tailor
by ShunKazamis-Girl
Summary: You just got commissioned to create outfits for the mayor and his fiance for their wedding party on Christmas Day. Too bad you started to get sick in the process... Little did you know that someone has a crush on you.. and wants to help out. Loosely inspired by "The Tailor of Gloucester" by Beatrix Potter and written exclusively for Christmas 2015. Tailor!ReaderXFairy!Pietro. AU.
1. Commission

"Hm.. what's this?" The girl arrived in her small shop one December morning as she glanced at the white envelope in her hand. Written in black calligraphy at the front of it was her address and her own name, [Name], and there was a holiday sticker sealing the flap. She found this particular envelope in her mailbox earlier today and decided to open it before she started working for the day.

Almost bumping into a mannequin on the way to the large wooden workspace, which also functioned as storage cupboards and a sitting area right by the window, she plopped right down and hurriedly tore off the flap, finding a letter inside. [Name] unfolded it and read some of the its contents out loud.

"Dear Ms. [Last Name]... my fiancé and I..." She hummed idly as she scanned through the message. "..will be married... Christmas Day... commissioning.. suit jacket, waistcoat, and dress... payment will reach to you before the party.. finish in four days... Good luck... Sincerely, The Mayor of [Name of City/Town/Village]."

[Name] wasn't sure how she ended up with this kind of attraction, let alone be assigned to this special commission, but she bursted up with a small squeal in excitement.

You see, [Name] [Last Name] was a tailor, sewing up and fixing clothes for the people in the community. Even though clothing stores and shopping malls were increasingly becoming more common nowadays, most of the citizens in [Name of City/Town/Village] actually preferred to have their outfits fixed or created by hand, or from brilliantly talented tailors and dressmakers such as herself. Despite being younger than most people from that trade, her work was rather praised for exceptional quality and unique style, and [Name] enjoyed working at her job.

Anyways, the mayor's new jacket and waistcoat, as well as his bride-to-be's wedding dress might as well be [Name]'s biggest commission yet. From what she heard, the mayor of her [city/town/village] was planning to be married to this lovely woman that he got engaged to, and since the wedding will take place during Christmas Day this year, the mayor will also host this huge Christmas party after the ceremony. There will be a huge feast, dancing, music, gifts, and even a Christmas carol-off... and the whole [city/town/village] will be invited!

...Well, that is, everyone except her.

Strangely enough, it seemed like lots of people got invited to the party that so happened to be the most-talked-about-event-of-the-month, waving around shiny red and green cards from the mail and flaunting them in front of every face they would see. Somehow, she didn't end up with an invitation to there... maybe the mayor couldn't invite every single person around here? Or maybe it was because everyone thought she was too busy?

She hated to say this, but it made her feel really, really lonely. And left out.

She mentally frowned just thinking about it.

Hopefully sewing those outfits would count as contributing to the wedding and the party somehow.

Either way, you'd better get started then. With renewed determination, [Name] hopped off the wooden area and began to collect a few things, already forming an idea. She just hoped the mayor and his eventual wife will love it.

Little did she knew that someone was watching her.

Or rather, a _tiny_ someone. A someone with silver hair and a dark-brown layer underneath, as well as dragonfly-like wings.

That 'someone' also had a name; his name was Pietro.

And Pietro was a fairy.

Now, Pietro just happened to hear the commotion the young woman was making once he heard her reading out loud a letter of some sort. He wasn't entirely sure what was that about, but it was enough to get her up and going to find some fabric, unfurl some strings and ribbons, and gather up her tools. Curiosity increased for the winged speedster so he popped out of his hiding place to investigate.

He flitted around the wooden workspace for a moment, since he felt fidgety from being cooped up so long. Even though the tailor was intensely occupied with the start of her new project to notice anything, the superspeed-powered fairy flew in a flash of silver to sit down on the windowsill and observed from that viewpoint.

[Name] unrolled some newsprint and began drawing out some templates. There seemed to be one pattern for the front, a couple panels for a skirt, a few rectangular shapes for the pockets and cuffs... Pietro wondered what she was planning to make today.

A few feet of wine-red corded silk was cut out, along with some peach-tinted taffeta and what looked like lengths of white. There was also some scritch-scratching of a pencil and clangs of a metal ruler as she kept drawing, measuring, and cutting.

Even though he was typically impatient, flying between intervals in great bursts of speed as he glimpsed at different angles and perspectives, Pietro opted to sit down cross-legged near the window instead as he observed [Name] doing her work. She kept darting back and forth a lot (which to his fast-paced mind, it looked more like small walks), but he just daydreamed for a moment as he waited.

The fairy thought about the time when he and his fraternal twin sister, Wanda, originally occupied a rather cramped and drafty ceiling hole of an apartment building in a city from Sokovia. However, the apartment was destroyed by a bomb and their home got caved in, killing their parents in the process and forcing them to flee to wherever their wings (and Pietro's superspeed) would take them.

They tried living in the woods, inside fairy rings, sharing animal homes, occupying abandoned buildings. and even temporarily staying in a dark, cold laboratory once before they ended up being spotted by a rather malicious scientist. Eventually, the twins ended up in a rather quaint [city/town/village] in [Name of country] that was mostly steeped in tradition and history. They even found a new home for themselves in the process, inside the home and workshop of one of [Name of City/Town/Village]'s best tailors.

And that tailor happened to be [Name].

The human girl tended to have excess pieces of cloth left over from the clothing and accessories she made, no matter how much fabric she used up. Whenever she came home at night from work, worn to a ravelling, she would let the snippets of colourful material float down to the tabletops and floor, as she sang out, "Tippets for fairies and ribbons for mobs! For fairies!", or something along those lines, anyway. Those random scraps ended up in the shop as well, which was why the little Sokovian fairy often swiped them away without a trace in his superspeed.

Hopefully, Pietro will find some good materials for the day.

Now the tailor was pinning up the paper templates and tracing their forms onto the material before retrieving her silver sheers and trimming them into shape. This time, she was quietly singing a song, a Christmas carol, perhaps, to herself as she carefully cut them with smooth, straight lines. Pietro's lips twitched into a smile at this, which seem odd as itself, but it wasn't.

Alright, here's the thing: even though Pietro had never interacted with [Name] in person, let alone said a word to her, he often liked to watch the young tailor working on her wearable creations, which varied from her versions of the latest fashion, whimsical headpieces and accessories, and elegant formal wear, to amazing costumes for Halloween and cosplaying. Hell, she could even whip out delicate doll clothes with barely any sweat. [Name] was quite talented, that's for sure, but Pietro also saw her as beautiful, kind-hearted, and had an irrepressible spirit. If she wanted to, she could've brightened up the gloomiest days and find the positives in a mostly negative situation. There were moments when he would find her singing as she sewed, narrating stories to herself as she read, or even watching over her while she slept. Sometimes, the speedster fairy would be content just from seeing her smile or hearing her laugh. If anything, he liked having her presence.

Long story short, Pietro was in love with her.

He just wished he could be closer to [Name] somehow, even if he'll end up like a human or she'll end up as a fairy. He wouldn't care for either way.

Once [Name] was out of her workspace for a couple minutes, this time to search for some buttons and twist farther away, Pietro quickly flew over to pick up the remaining scraps of fabric scattered on the wooden surface. He found many pieces of red corded silk, a couple strips of that peachy taffeta, and he even found a length of ice-blue lace twice his size (no white cloth yet, but he'll try to wait) before swiftly popping back into his hideaway without a sound or a peep.

The 'hideaway' was as small as a mouse hole, but it was bigger on the inside, and it linked between [Name]'s shop and her house nearby, as well as serving as connections to other buildings in the [city/town/village]. The studio may look dilapidated, just like the tailor's residential counterpart, but it was actually pretty sturdy on the inside. And comfortable, too. A small passageway served as their home and the cracks, the holes, the pipes, the wooden layers, and the passages served as an excellent labyrinth for them and the residing fairy folk nearby without human interference. It was a warm, peaceful haven, and he and his sister wouldn't have it any other way.

Speaking of his sister, where could she-

"Pietro! Did you manage to find some fabric?" His female twin, Wanda, happened to hover out from the wooden framework of the building. She cleared up some sawdust clinging onto her scarlet butterfly wings and black cotton dress with her red-tinted hex magic, now appearing more cleansed than ever.

"Yes, Wanda; I got some red corded silk, bits of peach-coloured taffeta, and ice-blue lace... are those alright for you?" He revealed the bunches of cloth he collected so far. The dark-haired fairy accepted the bundle with a smile on her face, perfectly happy with the new material they received.

"It's perfect! And I'm almost finished with the clothes from yesterday." She told him happily as she flew towards another room in the hideaway, which served as a shared bedroom and a makeshift studio for the clothes the twins created for themselves out of [Name]'s leftover cloth. Peeking out from the smaller door were two fairy-sized mannequins made of peanut shells and mini styrofoam balls. One was adorned with a skirt underlayer created from a piece of white mesh, while another had an elbow-sleeved shirt fashioned from a dyed-black maple leaf with leather cord drawstrings and neon green and blue lightning bolts embroidered on the front. "Pietro, are you not coming? I need some help with measurements." Wanda called out about thirty seconds later.

The silver-haired fairy peered into the outside of the mouse hole once more to see what was [Name] up to now. So far, she was still concentrated onto her task for the commission, this time preparing the white fabric. But he knew she would be alright. For now anyway.

"I'll be right there." He replied back before fluttering away from prying eyes.

* * *

 **Eugene:** Hi guys! I know this type of story seems weird to you, but c'mon; fairies are awesome! Admit it. This fanfic is actually a Christmas present for Singer of Water (I love her stories, especially her OCs!) and I wanna write something fluffy yet unique for her. The concept's actually on something I originally wanted to work on last Christmas, but never got the chance to until now. You know those Peter Rabbit books you would see in the library at some point? The ones by Beatrix Potter? Those were some of my favourite stories since I was little and this fanfic was loosely inspired by one of them, which was "The Tailor of Gloucester". As much as I wanna explain what that story was about, I wouldn't want to spoil it for anybody, so you'll have to read the book itself or search it up online.

P.S. I originally thought of doing Bucky, Steve, or Clint, but somehow, neither of them fit, so I chose Pietro instead. Besides, I think Mel (Singer of Water) kinda got this crush on him so yeah... *whistles innocently* That, and I wanna see him in fairy wings for some reason. 'Nuff said. I hope she likes it!


	2. Sickness

"Heeey, how's it going over here?"

There were other faes popping in for a visit, it seems. Pietro looked up from the half-sewn sash belt he was working on to find his fellow fairy folk flittering around the hideaway. Sam was the guy who initiated the greeting, his red and white wings flapping in the air. Clint plopped down on a chair as he created extra arrows out of saw grass and porcupine quills while Natasha helped him out by polishing his twisted-wire bow, her distressed spider-web wings curling around her arms like a shawl. Bruce was lying on his stomach as he read a cut-up newspaper article about science outside the [city/town/village] and Thor was munching on a breadcrumb he found near the water fountains. Steve, with his star-spangled wings, was hoping to ask Wanda if he could exchange his nuts and berries for some strips of gauze.

And as for Tony... well, Tony was just being Tony, fiddling around with a green Christmas light bulb, a piece of circuit, and a glass thimble. It looked like he was trying to invent something. It'd better not explode or something, or else his steampunk appendages will go crooked and burnt. Still, Tony's inventions tended to be both brilliant and crazy.

Pietro didn't mind them visiting, to be honest, and neither did Wanda. These fairies had helped the twins settle into [Name of City/Town/Village] after they started to reside in [Name]'s house and workshop. They were a little slow on trusting the ragtag group at first, but they ended up as a part of a slightly dysfunctional yet happy family. Besides, all of them tended up meet up every once in a while and report on what they were doing in the neighbouring districts of the [city/town/village].

"Everything's fine." Pietro told Sam before creating some last swift stitches to round off the creation. "Sam, your new belt is ready. I added some extra pouches, but I'm almost out of Winter Aconite leaves."

"Oh sweet! Thanks, man!" The red and white-winged fae flew over and tied his newly-finished sash belt around his waist, examining himself in the mirror shard's reflection.

"Ok, Wanda and I just need to add the straps on that apron and- oh... hello Fury." The superspeed-powered male would've picked up the needle and thread again, but the presence of the black-adorned visitor paused all the activity.

This particular fairy, The Fury, was actually the overseer of most of the winged folk in the [city/town/village]. He was an odd combination between a leader, a landlord, and a father, in a sense, but really, he just helped and protected other fairies the best he could with his powerful abilities. The Fury lost one eye at some point in his life, so part of his eye was covered by the core of a dying star while the side of his face was tied with a birch leafkerchief.

The lead fairy made a nod in reply before he said a question, "How were all the humans in the [city/town/village]?"

"Pretty much excited for the holidays." Clint confirmed that status as he toyed with an arrow.

"Yes, and the mortals are currently anticipating the marriage of their mayor and his true beloved." Thor boomed out in agreement. "There is to be a great party afterwards as well!"

Bruce looked up from the newpaper cutting to add in, "You should've seen them; they kept rushing in trying to find the perfect outfit or making plans for their own Christmas. It's a busy time this year, Fury. The stores and roads were a bit hectic."

"Hmm. I see. Pietro, Wanda, how has [Name] been?" The Fury turned to the twin fairies; they were the ones living in her residential and work place, so they would know what the girl was up to.

Wanda was about to speak up, but Pietro cut in instead, much to her annoyance. "She just got this really big commission from the mayor himself, sir! I think those were supposed to be special outfits for the wedding!"

"Really?"

"Yeah, and it's a rather big honour for someone as talented as her. But me and my brother didn't see being invited to the party like everyone else. Why is that?" Wanda couldn't help but to ponder about that.

"What? That's ridiculous! She's an important member of this community!" Sam exclaimed. "Wait, didn't she have any other plans with her family this year?"

Natasha shook her head sadly. "Not that none of us know about. I don't think she would be able to see them until the start of the New Year."

"Natasha is right; [Name] doesn't deserve to be this lonely for Christmas. It would've been nice for her to be with other people, at least." Steve said, and everyone else agreed with that statement.

But neither of the fairies will know what will soon transpire next...

* * *

"Ok! The veil's finished!" The tailor wiped the sweat off her forehead as she folded up the remaining pieces of tulle. But I still need to piece the bodice and-" Suddenly, her lungs flared up like a fire-breathing dragon and a slew of coughs invaded her throat. Her legs quivered and her head throbbed in agony. The tailor almost felt like throwing up but no bile came up and her mouth went dry. A couple seconds later, her body felt a bit normal again, not much.

"Ugh, I really have to finish this..." [Name] gave a mournful look at the partly assembled jacket, the half-finished waistcoat and the dress's bodice. She managed to completely sew up some parts, but only completed decorating the cuffs, pockets, and the bridal veil for the upcoming bride. "But maybe I'll just call it a day today..." She locked up the shop and walked off home, but not without some coughs plaguing her way outside.

Too bad she didn't notice the fairy watching her outside with concern.

* * *

As much as Pietro didn't like to admit it, he noticed that [Name] wasn't feeling too good lately.

At home and at her shop, the tailor started to feel weak as her body trembled every couple of minutes and coughs racked up her lungs. So far in the last three days, she wasn't entirely sick, but it looked like she was starting to reveal the signs of it already.

That didn't stop [Name] from working, however.

He admired the fact that she wouldn't be willing to give up so easily, but sometimes, she would be a little _too_ dedicated on her work. And he found it worrying.

Right now, the winged speedster was kneeling onto the girl's nightstand as she slept during the night. Or rather, tried to sleep, as she kept tossing and turning every thirty minutes as she tried to be comfortable. Sometimes, there would be a weak, hacking cough as she tried to breathe.

Hmm, it must've been worse than Pietro imagined.

He flew over to [Name]'s side and reached out to caress her face. "Shhh, it's ok, [Name], it's ok..." The fairy cooed out, his accented voice lilted in her ear. His elfin form was barely noticeable compared to the [Name]'s human body, but at least he could examine her closer.

[Name]'s skin was warmed up in a sickly way and her brow furrowed as she attempted to keep her eyes shut. Pietro kept rubbing her cheek and temple in soothing circular motions and back-and-forth strokes until the girl was able to sleep a little bit easier. Now her breathing started to get lighter and her face wasn't so strained. Maybe things will be better once she wakes up again.

"Good night, [Name]. I hope you'll sleep well." He murmured and left a chaste but loving kiss on her forehead before darting out of existence.

The next morning just as the sun was starting to rise, the male fairy navigated around the tailor's house for a bit, just for the sake of something to do. He would've liked to raced the birds or play pranks on unsuspecting people outside, but since most of the birds migrated down South and the humans were too busy Christmas shopping or preparing for the mayor's wedding party, he couldn't. Besides, the other fairies, including Wanda, wouldn't approve at this time of the year.

Unfortunately, he wasn't paying attention to where he was flying, for the Sokovian fairy accidentally bumped into something white and his dragonfly-like wings stopped fluttering against his will, causing him to fall down into the kitchen somewhere.

Oh no! Something started to fall from one of the wooden shelves, flipping itself face-down and trapping the fairy inside with a loud clutter.

Pietro was frightened. He never experienced such a dark, enclosed space, not even in his old life in Sokovia or when he and Wanda tried to live in that laboratory. He tried pushing and flying with all his might, but compared to his fae strength with the weight of the porcelain, that thing was too heavy. He tried ramming in with his superspeed and he ricocheted off the china walls like a pinball, but it didn't budge one bit. Panic and fear started to sink in and he was struggling to suppress it.

" _It_ ' _s_ _dark_... _too dark_... _somebody help me_.." He mentally sobbed. Will he get out of here?

* * *

 _Tip tap_ , _tip tap_ , _tip tap_ , _tip_!

The tailor rubbed her eyes in confusion as she woke up in her room. She was already changing into a long-sleeved lilac blouse with black jeans when she discovered a sound. Was she imagining things? She swore she just heard a weird tapping noise...

 _Tip tap_ , _tip tap_ , _tip tap_ , _tip_!

There it was again.

And it came from the kitchen.

 _Tip tap_ , _tip tap_ , _tip tap_ , _tip_!

Shuffling over to the tiny kitchen in her half-sleepy state, she noticed that the sound came from the wooden shelves and dresser. They held crockery and pipkins, willow patterned plates, ceramic creamers, and beautifully designed tea cups. As it turned out, one of her teacups, a gold-rimmed one with pastel flowers, somehow fell off its usual spot and randomly flipped itself over during the night. Did the clamour came from there?

She lifted the teacup and turned it over only to find... _wait_ , _was that a fairy_?!

Or at least, it _looked_ like a fairy; [Name] couldn't tell.

She never got to focus on what it, or _he_ , looked like properly, since she still felt a bit weak and tired. But the young woman couldn't help but to feel sorry for the winged figure, so she did that one thing.

That one thing was saving it- _him_.

Pietro, on the other hand, was too stunned to do anything, let alone say something like "Hello", "Thank you", or even a "Damn, you're cute". He failed to even notice the smooth, delicate hands cupping over his masculine yet petite form and transferring him back to where the hideaway was. When he did finally realize what the tailor was doing, she was already grabbing for her coat, scarf, and boots before reaching for the doorknob.

"Wait, don't- go..." Pietro tried to say but she already left.

Damn it.

* * *

The silver-haired fairy sighed to himself as he ran his fingers through his hair. He was watching the other fairies conversing in idle chatter with each other, mostly on the subject of human activity, and Wanda was draping some violet fabric scraps over Natasha's body for a ballgown she was planning to make, whilst pinning up and sewing the seams. Pietro, on the other hand, was too distracted with his thoughts, so he wasn't paying a lot of attention.

"...'tro? Hey Speedy, aren't you listening?" Tony had to wave a gloved hand in front of the silver-haired male's face in order to snap him out of it.

"What...? Oh sorry, I was just thinking about.. things." His excuse sounded lame, but he didn't care at this point. The Sokovian fae rubbed his eyes to get rid of any droopiness and tried hard not to shrink away from the odd looks everyone else was giving him. "[Name] wasn't feeling too good lately, and pieces of those outfits kept being delayed." He told his friends and his sister.

That led to hushed whispers and concerned voice amongst everyone else. The black-clothed fairy, however, reacted rather differently.

"Boy, you really need to stop being so close to the girl without being caught. It's not your place to interfere with whatever she was doing." The Fury crossed his arms and glared at him with his one eye, a serious gaze boring into Pietro's crystal blue orbs.

Even though the one-eyed overseer seemed to disapprove with how the Sokovian fairy tried to look out for [Name], that didn't mean he was against the whole thing. In actuality, human-fairy relationships were not frowned upon, but they were not exactly common either. Still, The Fury couldn't entirely see the point Pietro was trying to make.

"B-B-But, sir! She's feeling weaker and weaker by the day and-"

"The Fury has a point, Pietro." Steve had to agree over there, despite a part of his soul wanting to fight against it. "We don't know if [Name] is the type of person to believe in fairies, let alone be aware of us living in her shop.. or her house."

"Yes, I know but maybe if I could just help-"

"No, I won't allow you to help her in person. End of story. _Just leave her alone_." With a flap of his gradient black wings and a fierce glare of his only eye, The Fury has left the hideaway.

Hearing those words broke Pietro's heart a little bit, especially since he was worried about [Name], but what else was he supposed to do?

* * *

 **Eugene:** Ok, I admit writing this chapter on Christmas Eve isn't a smart idea (especially if you have your mom with baking), but I think this turned out ok. As you all know at this point, the Avengers, including Nick Fury, were also fairies in this story. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten Rhodey and Vision; they'll show up in the next chapter, as well as a couple others (but I'm not sure who yet). Anyway, Merry Christmas everybody! I'm off to watch some holiday specials on TV and stuff my mouth with cheesecake!


	3. Christmas Eve

"-alright, here's that bowtie you ordered, and that Elsa dress I sewed up earlier." [Name] was not feeling good again, but she continued to work on the commission despite her current health. She was still confused on what just happened earlier this morning, and what did she just saved. Too bad the young woman did not get to observe it properly, but from what she managed to figure out, it wasn't a bird, mouse, or an insect. So what could it be? Hmm...

Anyways, today was Christmas Eve, and a couple of her customers were picking up for the outfits, accessories, hats, or costumes that the tailor had finishing making earlier in December; as in, before she was assigned to sew the mayor and his bride's clothing. Of course, her earlier creations were also meant for the wedding party, and some of the [city folk/townspeople/villagers] were wasting no time to do the final preparations for the holiday. From what she heard, the dress code mentioned in the invitations were supposed to be either the following: formal, semi-formal, casual holiday wear (ugly sweaters included), 18th-19th century-inspired outfits, and/or Christmas/winter movie-inspired costumes.

Meanwhile, Pietro had peeked out from the hideaway to find the girl doing. Right now, she seemed to be taking a break from working on the wedding dress's skirt, so that she could deal with her clientele until the shop officially closed for the holidays. She just finished handing out a snowflake headdress to a blond woman named Tracey and a fixed-up holiday sweater vest for an elderly yet robust man named Stan.

A cluster of voices said their approvals as the items were handed out.

"Oh my gosh, thank you!"

"This will look sooo amazing with my ugly Christmas sweater!"

"It's beautiful!"

"I can't wait for that party!"

"My grandparents are gonna love this!"

"Damn! It's pretty expensive but it's so much better than the one at the mall!"

"Let it go...! Let it go...!"

"Well, this looks mighty swell for this man! I'd say, excelsior!"

"Thank you, Ms. [Last Name]!"

"Yeah, Merry Christmas!"

As soon as everyone was satisfied with what they received, they left the workshop. A wave of silence washed over the once-noisy atmosphere, and it felt weird.

Not to mention she felt a little lonely again.

[Name] weren't able to dwell about it further though; as soon as the place was empty again, she started to have another coughing fit and her forehead burned hotly.

" _Ok_ , _ok_ , _just take deep breaths_ , [ _Name_ ]. _Stay still_..." Once she managed to follow her own instructions, the tailor walked shakily to her workspace and she sat down, bunching up some lace and tulle and sewing them to create flowers for the dress. It was getting difficult to even hold the needle properly without stabbing her fingers, but she didn't care.

The speed fairy sighed in relief; at least she managed to have the guts to keep going. Sort of. He darted out of the hideaway and decided to scavenge around the workshop for any more scraps of cloth lying around, despite The Fury's warning. Besides, he was fast enough that he wouldn't be noticed.

There wasn't a lot this time, but he did find the pieces of white fabric he's been eye-balling from the last few days. As in turned out, it was very special silk from China. "Oh wow, that's the finest quality of fabric I've ever seen so far!" Pietro said to himself as he fingered the lovely pure-white material. I wonder wh- hey, there's some ribbon!" He grinned as he spied said object and swiped the item out of sight.

After about a minute or so of collecting bits and pieces, he heard a soft, mournful moan gurgling out of the tailor's lips, which to the fairy, sounded disconcerting. Then Pietro heard shuffling, keys jangling, and the door closing shut.

What the hell? She's leaving already?! It's not even closing time yet!

Something doesn't feel right.

Shoving his collection of materials into the entrance of the hideaway, he cracked open the window, closed it behind him, and quickly followed the tailor outside. Even though it was late in the afternoon, the sun tended to betray the sky too soon at winter and sink down into the horizon, shifting into its dark cloak of the night. The citizens of [Name of City/Town/Village] would either be away visiting family, rushing to the market to buy their turkeys and chickens, or darting from party to party. Those who were currently at home might as well be baking their pies and cookies, wrapping up the last of the presents, or preparing for the arrival of Santa Claus.

[Name], on the other hand, just trudged through the streets with what little strength she had left. It wasn't too dark, but it was bitterly cold. It was snowing right now and it was also quite windy. To warm herself, she wrapped her jacket around her body tighter as cold air lashed out. Every time she had the urge to cough, she would cover up her mouth and had to focus on breathing down with her nose. Her head still hurt and her mind felt blank.

The winged speedster observed the young woman walking outside, possibly trying to get back home early, and then flitted towards the small hole that led to another route among the many passages, which lead to the living room of [Name]'s ancient yet sturdy home. The kind of place where the floorboards creaked, where natural wood dominated sleek metal, and where the echoes of a previous era were too stubborn to admit defeat. Brushing off the chill as if it was lint, Pietro just flapped his gossamer wings harder to shake off excess snowflakes before keeping watch on top of a shelf.

Fumbling in her hands and pockets for her house keys, it took more than half a minute to even open the door and step inside her domain. Unzipping her boots and slowly walking to her bedroom, [Name] could practically hear her warm, comfy bed calling out her name.

Too bad she couldn't even take any steps further than that, as one cough hacked her throat, then another, and another, and another, her vision fading into black...

" _Oh shit_." Pietro grew pale as soon as he saw her entire being hitting the floor halfway to her room. Was [Name] dead?!

He zipped over to her wrist and checked her pulse. It was still beating, so nope, she's still alive. Not dead. Phew.

But her illness has become worse.

"That's bad. Really, really, really, really, really bad." The winged speedster couldn't help saying, even as his speech pattern went up a few notches faster than usual. Pietro quickly flew back to the hideaway; he needed to inform his sister quickly.

"Wanda! Wanda! Wanda! Wand-"

"Pietro, calm down!" The scarlet-winged twin rushed over and stopped his twitchy flight patterns by firmly placing her hands on his shoulder. She held him on her arms and rubbed gentle circles onto his back, but not touching his aerodynamic wings. As soon as the male inhaled deep breaths and stood still, the hex user asked, "What's wrong?"

"[Name]'s sick. As in, really sick. I don't know how ill is she, but those outfits-" Pietro didn't want to say out loud what might happen, but it looked like he didn't have to.

Wanda looked at him strangely, but then gasped in horror as she realized, "They wouldn't be completed in time for the mayor and his fiancé! What if she laid ill even after Christmas?"

"I-... I don't even want to know." The speedster fairy groaned and ran a hand over his face, pushing back wavy strands of silver hair. "I just-"

"Is everything ok?" Steve's head poked out and his starry wings twitched in curiosity. Clint, Natasha, Bruce, Thor, and Sam soon followed afterwards. They, too, were wondering what was up with the twins, especially Pietro in particular.

He snapped back with a, "Does it look like it?" It probably sounded rude on Pietro's part, but that was only because he was starting to get a headache from everything that just happened. "Sorry, it's just that [Name] just fainted at her house, and she still hasn't finished the thing." He apologized with an explanation.

"Oh... did she show any signs of illness recently?" Bruce had to ask; his expertise on healing and medical knowledge didn't just stop at fairies; he also knew about human illnesses and diseases, since some of them were quite similar.

Pietro briefly described to the green-winged fairy about the coughing [Name] suffered, as well as the sleeping issues, the trembling, and her strength and focus slowly fading away. "...-even sewing has become too draining for her! I'm a little worried." He finished with that statement, his wings drooping in sadness to emphasize on that.

"Hmm, yes, it is rather troublesome for the young lady." Thor said as he pondered on this. "But has she even eaten, or slept properly in the last few days?"

"Um... I think she ate her meals a little bit, but she has trouble sleeping last night." The speedster fairy paced around the room in his superspeed as he tried to remember. "She really sh- where's Tony?" Pietro didn't realize this until now but the snarky fairy was not among the other fae that just came to visit.

"He is-"

"Over here! Looking for little ole' me?"

Ah, speak of the devil.

There was Tony, with his signature smirk on his lips. Fluttering hand-by-hand were the two other fairies from their dysfunctional group; Rhodey, the one with the gray-blue moth wings, and Vision, who had reddish skin, gold-coloured petal wings, and a small yellow gem on his forehead. All of them were curious about the commotion going on in the hideaway.

The silver-haired male scowled, but still allowed them inside nonetheless. "You wish. Where have you guys been?"

"Oh, Vision and I just got back from vacationing at the other side of the country; we needed Tony's help carrying our bags from there." Rhodey explained as he stretched his body for a bit to get rid of any stiff joints.

Vision, on the other hand, wasn't all that tired from traveling back to [Name of City/Town/Village], so he just hovered around the hideaway to adjust to his surroundings. Then he said, "I heard you have said something about [Name] feeling sick... what was going on?

Wanda covered for Pietro this time and explained to Tony, Rhodey, and Vision how the girl's illnesses was starting to worsen, as well as The Fury telling them about not contacting or helping the human in person. She had even told Rhodey and Vision a little bit about the commission that the female tailor was doing as part of the mayor's wedding.

Rhodey let out a low whistle. "Damn. Protective much?"

"Ooh~! Looks like this little speedster's got a crush on someone~" Tony mocked whilst waggling his eyebrows suggestively at Pietro's direction.

"What?! No, Tony-!"

"Face it, kid; you're lovesick." Clint countered point-blank while he prodded Pietro's arm with a saw grass arrow.

The silver-haired male opened his mouth to retort, but ended up pouting with a hint of blush on his cheeks instead. "It's not like I'm even going to speak to her... yet. I just want to help her somehow. Besides, I got stuck inside one of her teacups earlier this morning and she saved me." He then spoke.

It took a couple minutes for that information to sink into everyone's heads. Steve was the first fairy to finally translate the speedy fae's motives. "Ohhh, so that's your way of showing her your gratitude then?" At this point, everyone else was starting to understand why Pietro brought up that idea earlier, and why The Fury was trying to oppose it.

"Yes! Exactly!" Pietro nodded and zipped towards Bruce's side, then to Thor, and then near Natasha's. "I would like some help though," He confessed that part quietly. "I mean, there's probably a lot to work to do there and it's really big..."

The rest of the fairy folk, including Wanda, took some time to whisper among themselves, questioning what should they do? On one hand, [Name] might be the type of person who does believe in fairies; otherwise, why would she leave the cloth scraps and ribbons lying around in her house and workshop in the first place? If she was indeed the person who rescued the male Sokovian fairy, then she wouldn't have freaked out or anything. And thankfully for them, she doesn't set up mouse traps or swat them like flies (which some humans tended to do). She's got a lively soul, that one. However, none of them were sure how much of the young woman's health was at stake, so there's a chance that she might either get back to normal on Christmas or she might not. As for the outfits, there seemed to be some progress, but no completion, so they'll only have night time to do it. Not to mention that they didn't wanna know what would happen if The Fury saw them sewing on that thing...

"Alright, we'll do it." Natasha was the first to voice out their opinion.

"What, seriously? You guys will help?" His expression suddenly perked up, while his wings expressed the same thing.

"Well, if it wasn't for [Name] indirectly providing enough for us after we left Sokovia, then we wouldn't be able to find food, shelter, or even clothes to make and wear. We wouldn't even able to have friends like now, brother; think about it." Even Wanda found reason to express her approval for her twin's idea.

"Anything for fair lady [Name]!" Thor boomed out in agreement. The other fairies in that particular group said 'yes' as well. Agreements were made, decisions were settled.

" _Maybe_ ," Pietro thought to himself with a small smile. " _Maybe_ _there is hope for_ [ _Name_ ] _after all_. _Because_ _**we**_ **'** _ **ll**_ _help her_.

* * *

First things first though, they still got [Name] to deal with. After all, she fainted before she could even reach her bed. And as Bruce pointed out, it's better to figure out what made her sick from the last few days.

Pietro, Wanda, Bruce, Clint, and Natasha were the ones to monitor the young woman and her illness while Steve, Tony, Rhodey, Thor, Sam, and Vision opted to keep watch from one of her bookshelves, in case something bad happened to her or if a robber was breaking into the house. The first task right now was to changed her clothes and put her to bed.

Easier said than done, right?

 _WRONG_.

"[Name]... [Name], princess, stay still. For me." Pietro urged her softly as he, Bruce, Clint, and Natasha tried to hold down the squirming girl in their hands. [Name] parted her lips in a gasp as she tried to cooperate and sucked in some air to breathe. It was difficult though, since the floor was too stiff and cold against her weakened body. Every time tiny hands tried to touch her, everything became oversensitive and she tried to move away.

"Listen to me; we'll help you get better but you need to stop moving so that Wanda will take you to the bed. Alright?" The silver-haired male reasoned in a quiet yet accented lilt. Maybe it was either the words or the lack of strength, but the [h/c]-haired girl eventually stopped moving and settled for lying limp instead.

Wanda took this as an opportunity to levitate the sleeping tailor from the floor to the bed with her hexes, all without strain. Then it was Clint's turn; with a wave of lavender-tinted fairy dust emitting from his right hand, her threadbare button-down shirt, jeans, and socks vanished, replacing them with cream-coloured pajamas while the covers were thrown over her body. Bruce took out a unusually-shaped flask with a long, thin straw and a rubbery pump from his bag, along with a sachet full of special herbs and medical ingredients. Once he added some water from a small bottle and carefully stirred the desired contents, Natasha helped out by stealthily inserting the straw between [Name]'s lips and squirting the medicine inside her mouth.

It seemed to do the trick, for the female gradually started to relax and her breathing went even. Her skin cooled down and she didn't look sickly anymore. The colourful lights of her bedroom's Christmas tree shone rainbow-coloured dots on her. [Name] now wasn't sick anymore.

But then she let out a moan. Not in pain, but of something else.

This startled Wanda, Bruce, Clint, and Natasha rather badly and they retreated to the shelf where the rest of the brethren stood watch. Pietro, however, just hovered close to the tailor's body without backing down.

Strangely enough, [Name] started to talk in her sleep. This had never happened before, as far as the male fairy was concerned, but maybe being sick had something to do about it.

"Waistcoat... tambour stitch.. poppies and cornflowers... jacket.. roses... pansies.. One-and-twenty button-holes..."

Those words must mean something; something about the jacket, waistcoat, and wedding dress. Maybe she was still conjuring up their designs in her sleep.

Interesting.

Pietro took advantage of this discovery by leaning closer to her ear and tugging on it.

"[Name]~? Is there something you're not telling me~?" He teased with an asshole-grin.

No reply, but [Name] did let out a embarrassed whine and tried to hide her face with the blanket. But she still murmured a few incoherencies in her slumber.

As the fairies kept listening from the shelf high above, they took notice of the jacket's pattern, the floral embroidery, and the dress's slim waist and flared skirt. They whispered to each other about silk, satin, and little fairy tippets. But most of the time, they just 'aww'ed and giggled whenever Pietro tried to speak to her, albeit being one-sided conversations.

"You know, you're actually quite cute when you sleep, but I think you're more beautiful when you're awake, yes?" The superspeed-powered male told her absentmindedly while drawing random shapes on her cheek. No response from her, but it didn't matter to him.

"Hey!" Tony called out from the shelf. "If you're done telling her lovey-dovey sappiness, we gotta head over to the workshop. You coming?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'll catch up. Go on ahead." The silver-haired fairy waved them off dismissively, but silently chuckling to himself as the others sneaked their way into the hideaway. They might be heading their way up ahead, but Pietro will still be in the lead. He always do. After all, he's the one with superhuman speed.

He sighed and gazed at the sleeping tailor lovingly. "Looks like I have to go. Sorry about that." Pietro told her apologetically. He almost flew away to go back to his sister and his friends when [Name] suddenly muttered the following words,

"No more twist... no more... twist.. no... more... twist.."

Those three words made Pietro cease his actions. " ' _No more twist_?' _What does she mean_ , ' _No more twist_?' " He thought to himself in bafflement. Was it an omen? Or was it part of a dream? Or was it just nonsense?

He'll have to figure it out later; right now, there's a job to do.

Pietro turned back mid-air and left a kiss on the tailor's forehead. "Good night, [Name]. Merry Christmas." He whispered in her ear. Then he zipped back to the hideaway, practically disappearing out of existence.

* * *

As soon as the moon climbed over the roofs and chimneys and the [city/town/village] of [Name of City/Town/Village] was fast asleep under the snow, the little fairy folk scampered and flew inside long, narrow passages, fairy-made staircases, and even the secret trapdoors. How were they to arrive at the studio when the window was barred and the door was fast locked? But that didn't hinder the fairies; they could run in and out without any keys through all the buildings in [Name of City/Town/Village]! As they weaved from house to house, building to building, they conversed to one another about what they just heard.

"One-and-twenty button holes!"

"...that jacket and waistcoat..."

"..Don't forget the wedding dress!"

"All those exquisite outfits..."

"For the mayor's wedding!"

"...you think we'll finish everything in time?"

"..how should I know; they're probably a lot bigger than us..."

"We still gotta embroider the cuffs and lapels.."

"...and attach those flowers!"

"We only have one shot tonight and everything must be done by Christmas Day...-"

"Shhh...!"

Their chats were silenced as soon as they reached the entrance of [Name]'s shop. Pietro was the first to investigate the outside surroundings (as usual) by speeding through every corner. The workspace was mostly empty, the cupboards were closed shut, and everything was shrouded in darkness, save for the thinning rays of moonlight and street lamps from the window.

"Is everything clear?" Wanda whispered out.

Her twin brother nodded in initiation. "Clear as crystal."

Everybody else flittered their way out of the hideaway to do their one mission.

Luckily for them, the remains of the mayor's jacket, waistcoat, and the bride's wedding dress were laid neatly on the edge of the workspace, all folded up delicately and waiting expectedly to be finished on Christmas Day. Well, not anymore. Arranged into small groups of twos or threes, the fairies gathered up some extra material, thread, needles, tools, pins, and buttons before creating their stations and studying pages from [Name]'s sketchbook on what needs to be done and what was her original vision. Even if their skills were a tad different or so from the original creator's, they were sure as hell gonna try.

A cluster of miniature candles were lit up with magical flame all over the place, while some of Tony's special lanterns (which he made a few days ago) illuminated the wooden workspace like coloured fireflies in a jar, the fairy dust and chemicals dancing around inside. As they began to do their work, their little fairy voices started to sing loudly and gaily.

" _Four_ - _and_ - _twenty_ _tailors_

 _Went to catch a snail_ ,

 _The best man amongst them_

 _Durst not touch her tail_ ;"

The cut-up pieces of cloth were rearranged, the embroidery thread, floss silk, and buttons were separated into rainbows, and the sketchbook pages for earlier concept art kept flipping back and forth. The little fairies began their work, sewing, snippeting, and snappeting away. Still, the fae voices continued singing without a pause.

" _She put out her horns_

 _Like a little kyloe cow_ ,

 _Run_ , _tailors_ , _run_! _or she_ ' _ll_

 _have you all e_ ' _en now_!"

With careful precision that could rival even the most acute human's abilities, the fae pieced together the unfinished shapes of cloth. Their very different voices mingled together; sometimes it contained the English of the majority, while Steve's lyrics quivered with the untamed yet silky language of Gaelic, Thor's lyrics altered between traditional Norse, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, and even a bit of Finnish and Icelandic, Natasha's Russian weaved throughout the song, and the twin's Sokovian language and dialect brought in everything together. This resulted in a nonsensically beautiful aria.

" _Hey diddle dinketty_ , _poppetty pet_!

 _The merchants of London they wear scarlet_ ;

"Dear me," Natasha snickered halfway through the verse as she finished a stitch. "Clint's just not cutting it, isn't he?" She tapped on Wanda's shoulder, who looked up to find the feathery-edged fairy trying to balance the bundles of cloth and little spools of thread on his arms, his wings and legs staggering from the excess weight. And then as if his wings gave up on him, his flight patterns stopped and he dropped down on the wooden surface, the fabric landed with a plop and the spools were scattered everywhere, one of them bonking on his head comically as it fell.

Natasha and Wanda ended up laughing at him.

 _Silk in the collar_ , _and gold in the hem_ ,

 _So merrily march the merchantmen_!"

As soon as Clint recovered from his fall and collected everything, he scrambled back to his group and continued working. Pietro saw the winged archer's antics at the corner of his eye, chuckling while he filled in a cornflower with the satin stitch.

" _And then I bought_

 _A pipkin and popkin_ ,

 _A slipkin and a slopkin_ ,

 _All for one farthing_ -"

Sometimes, as everyone else chimed out their little song, Tony would stand on a wooden spool as he hopped and danced on top of it, the sewing needle still on his hand with the thread attached. And if Tony wasn't doing it, then Pietro might be doing the similar thing instead, forming little pirouettes, cartwheels, and handstands in the air as he went.

" _Three little fairies sat down to spin_ ,

 _Pussy passed by and she peeped in._

 _What are you at, my fine little men_?

 _Making coats for gentlemen_."

They continued sewing and sewing most of the night away with the best to their abilities, as time never seemed to be an issue for them. All of a sudden, there was an unusual scratching sound near the window. The fairies stilled their work and their movement for a moment to investigate. A pair of triangular ears poked out, as well as thin whiskers and gold slitted eyes.

Sam was the first to identify whatever was out there. "Guys, there's a cat outside!" He groaned in exasperation.

Everyone else froze as they heard those words that Sam said. Sometimes, a fairy might be mistaken for a mouse, due to their similar size, or as an insect because of how they flew, and then it would end up being caught by the jaws of that creature, being gobbled up and dying in its wrath. But why was it there? Maybe the lights somehow attracted the feline, or maybe it was hungry...

The cat hissed as if it was trying to jeer at them; maybe it was trying to say something like this,

" _Shall I come in and cut off your threads_?"

Pietro looked rather nervous at seeing the furry menace licking its chops, as if the fairies were going to be its Christmas dinner. But then his mind suddenly formulated a plan. "Tony, I'm gonna need one of your lights for a moment."

"Wait, what- _Pietro_! Get back here, little bastard!" Before the snarky fairy could protest, the fast-flying fairy snatched up one of the nightlights, a red one, and escaped through the window with a _fwip_ -!

Quickly adjusting the invention so that he could grab hold of its mechanical legs, Pietro circled around the creature as he flew close to the cat's eyes and face to gain its attention.

"Odin's beard! What is he doing?!" Thor exclaimed out in surprise and confusion.

"Hmm, I believe he was trying to distract the creature by creating some sort of laser." Vision hypothesized rather analytically.

Bruce asked the red-skinned fairy curiously, "What for?"

"Duh! Fast-flyer's trying to get that cat away!" Tony scoffed at the silver-haired fairy's antics. Right now, Pietro flew so quickly that you could see nothing but dancing red dots with blue and silver tendrils. The mongrel kept jumping and pawing at its target, meowing in anger, but the Sokovian fae just blew a raspberry at it and kept flitting away.

"Then why are we standing here? We should help him!" Steve, who was being concerned about Pietro's safety (but was mostly annoyed at the cat), leapt into the fray and carried his special shield; it was actually a large metal button, but the blank face was painted with concentric circles of red, white, and blue with a white star. Soon everyone else followed his lead; Clint positioned his bow and arrows, Thor swung around his magical hammer, Natasha unleashed the stingers from her wrists, while everyone else just summoned out whatever magic they could create with fairy dust or their powers. Flashing in different colours, from red to blue, green to yellow, purple to white, the cat was driven to near distraction as it tried to evade the attacks. The blinking crimson spots that Pietro made wasn't helping.

In the eyes of a human, the fight would've been too complicated to fully register what happened, let alone describe the entire battle. The best anyone could describe it would be like this; it was utterly disorientating.

Eventually, Clint decided to shoot out one of his speciality arrows, which actually had a transparent sting that functioned as a trip wire, at another building. As soon as the mangy fiend staggered long enough, it decided to take action again and pounced onto the flittering fairies, only to have the cat's paws trapped in the clear strand and causing it to trip.

Every fae took this opportunity to fly back to the workshop like hell. The feline hissed in anger and ran off to follow them.

The fairies pushed the wooden shutters the best they could, blocking the outside view and their feline intruder outside. As the cat was shoved back and suddenly couldn't see anymore, the group taunted back with this little verse,

" _Oh_ , _no_ , _Miss Pussy_ , _you_ ' _d_ _bite off our heads_!"

Finally, the windows were shut and the fairies could work in peace again. The cat won't have to interfere anymore. More songs were sung, conversations were initiated, and time flew swiftly. In no time at all, they were actually finished with the jacket, waistcoat, and dress.

...Well, _almost_.

"Hey, has any of you seen any more strands of cherry-coloured silk twist around?" The silver-haired fairy asked his sister and friends as they were putting the last touches on the mayor's jacket. He kept darting in and out all over the place, searching around the shop for a particular item.

Vision looked up and asked innocently, "Why? Have we run out?"

"We have yellow, mint-green, blue, black... but no red." Natasha confirmed from her own station as he examined strand after strand of twist and thread. When she did figure out what was Pietro concerned about, her normal demeanour of indifference suddenly shifted that into dread. "Oh no... we still have one buttonhole left."

"ONE BUTTONHOLE LEFT?!" A scattering of voices could be heard from the other fairies, and their wings beat rapidly in panic. If [Name], or even that mayor, noticed that unstitched buttonhole in that jacket, then they'd be so dead.

In Pietro's case, the buttonhole suddenly reminded him of something. He paced around the workspace on the wing as he tried to connect the two related pieces of information together. "One buttonhole left... no more twist... maybe _that_ must've been what [Name] was talking about! She knew that she was going to run out of twist at some point, but never got to buy some to begin with!"

"But without it, we won't finish up that buttonhole! And the commission won't be fully complete!" His twin sister was also shocked at this revelation.

"What about the dry goods store?" Bruce spoke up. "Don't they still have some twist in stock?"

Now that the green-winged fairy mentioned, Thor also recalled the last time he visited that store, which was two days ago. He piped up with, "Yes! I saw some inside that shop as well! But how do we even get there?"

"..." Nobody had the answer to that question. At least until Pietro spoke up and announced the following,

"I'll go there; I'll sneak in to grab some twist, then head back so we could finish the jacket. I can do it in a flash!"

There were some hesitant comments about that suggestion, but eventually the other fairies gave in with the words, "Alright, fine." It was more efficient that way, too; compared to most fairies, Pietro was so fast that he could've ran or flew across the world in a couple of minutes.

This shouldn't be hard, right?

"Then we have about-" Clint opened the shutters by a crack to peek. No cats were in sight, as well as the humans, but the once-black sky was now dusted in royal blue and crimson red.

"Fuck! The sun's gonna rise soon! You have to hurry!" The feathery-winged fae reported.

The male Sokovian fairy nodded with a two-fingered salute and then he flitted away through the mouse hole and back into the secret passageways.

Everyone just hoped Pietro will make it.

* * *

 **Eugene:** Ok, yeah, this took longer than I expected, but I liked how it turned out. The song lyrics were actually from the book, but since its composition didn't feel right, I decided to use the alternate lyrics from The Tailor of Gloucester episode from The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends. It's a TV show based on the Peter Rabbit books, by the way. If you wanna listen to the original song, try to find that episode or look it up on Youtube somewhere. Otherwise, this chapter is actually a little more in line with the original story, and there's just one more chapter left after this!

Oh, and psst! There are two cameos in this chapter. One features an OC from Singer of Water and familiar face from almost all the movies. Have you found them yet? Let me know in the reviews if you did! No cheating!


	4. Christmas Day

" _WhereisitWhereisitWhereisit_?!"

Those were the only words racing into Pietro's fast-paced mind as he quickly ran from passage to passage, from stairway to stairway, but he still had a long way to go. As far as he and Wanda knew, they had been living in [Name of City/Town/Village] for seven months now. But they only visited the dry goods store in the [city/town/village] three times so far, so Pietro was not entirely sure if he was flying in the right direction. He wondered if-

"SHIT!"

The speedster fae paused in brakes as he discovered some kind of wooden slabs sealing up the next tunnel he was about to take. They were arranged crookedly, so he assumed that whoever did this didn't overlap them properly. Admittedly, he didn't know why they were here. That never happened before.

" _But how strong could they be_?" Pietro wondered to himself. He decided to test it out for himself.

First, he tried revving up his superspeed and charging through the boards like an enraged goat. But that only caused him to hurt his head. Then he tried emitting some of his fairy dust to create enough magic to burn through the wooden surface. That didn't work either, although there were a couple burn marks dotting the facade. He even tried vibrating his entire body like an earthquake to attempt going through it, but obviously, he couldn't do it. Half the time, it felt like somebody was watching the silver-haired fairy, as if it was observing his every move. Don't even ask why. Pietro would've kept going to try to destroy them, but he was running out of time. He needed to get that twist, dammit!

"Aren't there any shortcuts around here? Um..." He said to no one in particular but himself in agitation. Then he remembered a knothole at the very far wall of the building he was in, which led to outside. Maybe he could just fly out there and find the store in bird's-eye view.

That would be a lot better. After all, he loved flying really fast just as much as running really fast.

After detecting the hole farther on his left, Pietro flitted his way out and allowed his wings stretch out wide as he took in the sights from the skies above. Even though the sun just rose up, tinting everything in a reddish-orange colour, the [city/town/village] sure was beautiful up there. From there, he could see every apartment building, every house, and every store in the streets. Snow dusted everything like powdered sugar and he could hear the early morning bells from the cathedral.

His eyes darted to various storefronts that he was mostly familiar with. Then he spotted a vintage-looking shop with peeling, blue-gray walls and a sign in copper-coloured letters.

That must be it! The dry goods store! At the speed of sound, Pietro immediately dove down to that particular storefront and flew inside one of the cracks with a fairy-sized hole at the shop's left wall. He went through a few more passageways, stairs, and pipes. Right, left, right again, up... until he finally made it inside the interior.

The store itself displayed and sold a plethora of knickknacks, such as clothing from small-name brands, textiles, vintage candy, dry food, and even ribbons, needles, and twist. Everything was a bit cluttered, most likely from the customers that came for Christmas shopping, but at least it wasn't messy. Of course, the entire place was dark, since the doors and windows were closed shut for Christmas Day, but unlike [Name]'s workshop, there was no trace of light escaping from outside.

But that didn't deter Pietro from seeking what he wanted. With tightly-closed eyes, he concentrated on creating enough energy and fairy dust to make himself illuminate intensely in a silver glow. The power of the glow encasing his body was strong enough to shine up at least half of the room, so there was no need for fireflies, candles, or flashlights.

"Twist... twist.. I wonder where the hell is that cherry-red twist?" Pietro muttered to himself as he navigated his way through the place in his superspeed.

He darted from shelf to shelf, from the cabinets to the storage room, as he flew all over the place with silver and blue wispy tendrils trailing behind his vividly lit form like a comet. He did manage to find the space where a small selection of different coloured fabric, ribbons, and twist were. Pink, white, black, blue-gray, green... there was no end to them!

But finally, he found a small skein of cherry-red twist thread, which was hiding in an inconspicuous corner of the very back of the bottom shelf.

"Yes! Finally!" Pietro practically whooped out loud. He even raised the skein of twist up in victory like a trophy.

Now all he had to do was to deliver it back to the others in the workshop and finally finish that buttonhole!

As soon as he flitted his way out of the dry goods store and allowed his glow to fade, the twist in his hands, Pietro couldn't help to notice how fast daylight was approaching already. At this point, maybe some of the human families would wake up and start unwrapping presents. Orange skies already turned into soft white and the fairy felt a little chilly in his navy blue tunic shirt and gray ash leaf pants. He blamed himself for not choosing warmer clothes earlier, but he didn't expect to be outside anyway.

He weaved and darted his way through the streets towards [Name]'s workshop, allowing himself to fly however he wanted thanks to its limitless space. Sometimes between spurts of normal flying, Pietro would do somersaults, cartwheels, handsprings, backwards flight, or even loop-de-loops in mid-air, just because he's a little shit that way. And he liked to show off every now and then, whether anyone was around or not.

By the time the superspeed-powered fae arrived, something felt off. He wasn't sure why. "Wanda!" He called out for his twin.

...

No reply. Pietro opened the window by a crack and tried his attempt again as he went inside.

"Wanda?" He called out. So far, nobody replied. "Steve? Iron-Ass? Clint? Anybody in here?!" He tried yelling out for any of the other fairies, even adding that nickname for Tony, but still nothing.

For some reason, the entire shop was empty. Candles were extinguished, Tony's nightlights were gone, the room was cleaned up, and the almost-finished clothing pieces were neatly laid out on the wooden workspace. And another strange thing; he found a small piece of paper on the windowsill, which had this message:

 **Pietro,**

 **If you see none of us in here by the time you're back, that is because people started to wander around the building and we had to hide to prevent suspicion. You did not come back quickly as we thought and we were getting worried. I just hoped nothing bad happened. If you are done, just meet me and the others in the hideaway; we'll be fine. Just don't get caught and be careful, brother.**

 **-Wanda**

The speedy Sokovian fairy had to peek into the other windows outside to check. Sure enough, there were only a few people in the building where the tailor's workshop was situated, but maybe there were just here to clean up the place or to collect any supplies needed for the mayor's Christmas party. Still, this could pose a risk somehow, since not every human knew about the existence of fairies, or wanted them to be nothing but myth.

Somehow, it saddened him a bit to think that they're not waiting for him in the tailor's workshop, but in the hideaway instead. All because he couldn't make it fast enough. But it wasn't Pietro's fault; those wooden slabs were out of his way! So that'll mean _he_ would have to do the last buttonhole himself...

...

...

And somehow, it just didn't feel _right_.

Alright, call him crazy, but despite his cockiness and impatience, Pietro was also considerate about other fairies and people. He just didn't think it would be fair for him to completely do that one task since he and the other fairies helped [Name] with completing the remains of the outfits. But she, this brilliantly-talented tailor, actually created the foundation of the _entire_ commission. If there was someone who deserved the credibility and the results of those wearable masterpieces, it would be [Name] [Last name]. And Pietro loved her too much to even burden her in any way, should she end up failing.

"Damn it all, what am I supposed to do now?" He muttered to himself.

Sighing in frustration, the speedster fairy decided to have another quick flight to clear his head. Cradling the twist in his arms like a baby, he practically fwipped out of existence and circled around the [city/town/village] a few times in his superspeed. When he realized that he unintentionally flew towards [Name]'s house, Pietro decided to stop by and check on the girl.

He looked out the bedroom window of the house to find [Name] still sleeping peacefully, a small smile gracing her gorgeous face. Pietro kind of wished he could just fly over there and give her a couple good morning kisses. Judging from the slight squirming movements under the covers, however, she might be on the verge of waking up. He sighed; he really wanted to just get that buttonhole done and over with, but what if [Name] already made it to the workshop while he was fixing it? If that's the case, then...

Pietro gave one last look at the red bundle in his hands before making a new decision. He just hoped it'll be worth it.

* * *

The first thing [Name] saw when she woke up was the brightness of the white winter sky, the ivory cloak of the morning shrouding her window with soft light. Even beneath her sleep-induced eye-lids, she could sense an ebbing calm in the atmosphere.

The second, and most astonishing, thing she discovered was that she didn't even feel sick anymore.

In fact, _her illness was gone_.

"Wait... what? I'm not sick, anymore...?!" The young woman murmured to herself in confusion as she sleepily rubbed her eyes. "But I don't even remember falling asleep..." Instead of the hard-as-stone and cold floor she fainted in, somehow, she ended up in her warm, fluffy bed.

And speaking of her bed, [Name] found something delicate and red lying on top of the covers. Cupping the foreign object with her hands, the tailor squinted at it closely until she could finally make out its shape.

It was twist! A skein of cherry-coloured twist! And she actually got it!

"But wait.. I didn't even buy the thing yesterday... was this from Santa?" She ended up musing out loud due to her amazement and confusion. The [h/c] girl doubted that Santa would just lie gifts on people's beds, since he normally placed them under trees and inside stockings. If it really was him, maybe the jolly old elf took pity on her for being sick? But if it actually _wasn_ ' _t_ him, then how did the twist get here...?

...

Oh well. She's just glad she's actually ok. Not to mention she was on the nice list this year, as evident by the scattering of presents from Santa Claus underneath her small Christmas tree.

...

But damn it! [Name]'s still got that commission to finish! And she only got the entire _morning_ now!

Quickly as she could, the tailor brushed her teeth, combed her [h/c] hair, and dressed herself in a long black sweater with a white heart, red skinny jeans, and a dark gray winter jacket. She even pocketed the twist, just in case. Unfortunately, she couldn't eat breakfast right now or open those presents under the tree, but she figured she might be able to do them later.

When she got out of the house and locked the door, [Name] noticed that the atmosphere in the [city/town/village] was very cheery today. Most likely because of this year's white Christmas, but the upcoming wedding and Christmas party must've sparked it brighter for the entire community.

"Lovely day, isn't it!" An elderly gentleman greeted a younger woman not far off, in which she replied with "Yes, it really is!"

As soon as [Name] passed them on the street, the snow softly crunching beneath her feet, the man called out to her, "Merry Christmas!"

"Oh yeah... it is a beautiful morning. Merry Christmas!" The tailor waved back in salutations before heading off her way.

It looked like people were really getting into their Christmas spirit this year, which made [Name] swell up in happiness just thinking about it. The citizens of [Name of City/Town/Village] would be seen greeting each other before heading off to celebrate their holidays or socializing together, no matter how brief or intimate it would be. At one point, she overhead a couple conversing to each other as they strolled off to the cathedral, possibly heading their way to the mayor's wedding ceremony. At one point, she even overheard one of them saying, "...A beautiful day for the mayor and his bride..."

The girl still had to hurry up to go to her workshop, but then she found herself being invaded by an ongoing snowball fight on the sidewalks. Little kids of different ages were seen wildly tossing their snowy arsenal at each other, hoping to strike down their opponents. Even in her rush, she did manage to playfully dodge the flying snowballs and throw down her own whenever somebody targeted her, all without hard feelings.

When [Name] did make it to the building where her own little shop resided, she had to rearrange her set of keys just to find the right one for the door. Maybe if she could just work very quickly, then that commission will-

Little did [Name] know was that there was a surprise waiting for her.

"OH MY-! Her voice rose up to an alarming high pitch while barely comprehending the sight in front of her. Lying on the wooden surface of the workspace was an exquisite wine-red corded silk suit jacket with white taffeta lining and a peach-coloured waistcoat, which were both embellished with subtle yet elegant floral embroidery. The bride's wedding dress was also there with its masculine counterpart, standing out in its own form. The strapless bodice of the white gown had a delicate lace overlay, but as soon as it reached the waist, the skirt would then flare up and flounce gracefully like an inverted calla lily, while bunches of white, pale green, and pale blue mesh attached onto the skirt as flowers with tiny Swarovski crystals glued at the centers. Even the veil was there, neatly folded next to the dress.

" _Oh my god_! _Everything_ 's _so beautiful_!" [Name] couldn't resist gushing and squeeing out in awe and happiness. It would be rude not to gasp at every single detail, lovingly fixed from their beginning stages and sewed up with care. "The colours! The forms! The stitches! They're so clean and vibrant!" She kept complimenting out whatever observations her mind could create. Everything was so intricate and meticulous. And the stitches of those buttonholes were so small - _so small_ \- they looked as if they were made by little mice. The tailor wasn't sure what exactly happened while she was sick, but she didn't care at this moment; it was a lot better than what her mind and sketchbook envisioned.

Then she smoothed her fingers over the cuffs and lapels, shivering at their textural feel. "And those flowers! They're embroidered really well, especially the poppies and cornflowers and-" Then, as if by a flash, she spotted something unusual; a flicker of browning white was juxtaposed among the vividly blooming flowers.

"Wait... what's this?" The tailor had to peer closer to inspect her discovery.

Somehow, everything was finished except for one cherry-coloured buttonhole. And where that empty buttonhole was had a scrap of paper pinned onto the fabric. The little teeny-weeny words were written in blackberry juice, which said the following:

 **No more twist**

...

...

"No more twist...?" She had to read it again out loud. Was she even reading it correctly?

" _Hmm_ , maybe _the skein of twist I found had something to do with it_." [Name] thought to herself as she examined the cherry-red thread in her hand, which she fished from her pocket.

Maybe it was fate or maybe it was a coincidence. Who knows? Still, she decided to grab her needle and scissors to finish the empty buttonhole before delivering everything to the mayor and his new wife. It shouldn't take long.

Somewhere in the workshop, a tiny, silvery voice giggled.

* * *

Sometime after all the fairies finished their task and Pietro dealt with the twist problem, they actually organized a little dress-up party together as a way of celebrating Christmas together. Right now, all the faes were chilling out in the hideaway and trying out different outfits that Pietro and Wanda had sewn many months ago after settling in [Name of City/Town/Village]. All of which were crafted from different flower petals, leaves, buds, shells, and scraps of material the twins had collected ever since they left Sokovia.

"Normally, fashion isn't too important to me, but this is actually pretty fun." Natasha confessed as she admired the violet and gold ball gown that Wanda managed to finish, her spidery web wings fluttering in content as she enjoyed the silky, debonair feel of the fabric in the skirt.

"I think you look hot in it, babe." Clint, in his elfin archer garb, teased as he flew over to peck her cheek, which made her smirk and hit the archer's arm rather playfully.

"You think [Name] would've delivered that commission by now to the mayor and his new wife?" Bruce actually brought up as he taught Sam, Steve, and Vision this miniature board game he discovered one time from a human's bedroom. Bruce was borrowing steampunk-inspired clothing, Vision wore a 18th century nobleman outfit with a goldenrod yellow jacket and a poufy fabric wig, while Sam and Steve wore matching pilot outfits complete with brown leather jackets and sea glass goggles with copper framing (which were originally Pietro's).

Pietro, who was wearing a white shirt with loose sleeves, a black humming bird-down vest, navy-blue pants, and a willow leaf sash tied around his waist (all of which had some embroidery on it), piped up with, "I should hope so; after all, that wedding won't be until sometime later.", as he carried around acorn-cupfuls of honeydew and elderberry cordial and handed them to the others. All without spilling a drop in his superspeed.

Wanda, in her red and white sequined mesh dress, had to agree with her brother. "I am just glad that the jacket, waistcoat, and dress were all finished now. [Name] wouldn't have to worry a thing." She accepted her drink with a smile.

"Geez, Tony's been taking pretty long over there. Was he admiring himself in the mirror or something?" Rhodey said in impatience as he peeked out at the other end of the hall. Then he heard light shuffling and tiny footsteps. "They're coming!" He flittered back to his spot between Clint and Wanda.

Everyone awaited for the arrival they anticipated in the last few minutes. They waited, they waited, and then...

...

"How beautiful~!"

A collection of gasps came out of every fairy's lips as soon as Tony and his girlfriend, Pepper, stepped out of the door and walked out as if they were straight from runway. The couple were both wearing fairy-sized replicas of the commissioned pieces they worked on earlier for [Name], which Pietro and Wanda actually got to make after the real thing was completed. Tony was graced with the mayor's coat and waistcoat, complete with black pants, while Pepper looked stunning in the bride's dress, the pale blue and green flowers bringing out her hair and eyes.

"Such wonderful ruffles!" Steve pointed at the slightly lacy fabric of the wedding dress, which flounced into ruffles where the skirt length flared up.

Thor, on the other hand, admired the elaborate stitches that decorated the cuffs and lapels of the jacket Tony wore. "Are you sure? I believe that the embroidery is exquisite!" He boomed while his red leaf wings flapped in happiness.

Sam whistled out his approval. "Gotta admit; those replicas sure look really good on them." Everyone else actually agreed to that statement; it was pretty much a true fact.

"Just like the mayor's! Magnificent!" Wanda actually gushed despite herself.

Pleased at this comment, Tony unexpectedly took Pepper's hand and pulled her close to his chest. Pepper let out a startled squeal at first, but then she started to laugh as she was twirled around by the eccentric fairy. Tony's feet were surprisingly nimble as he danced with her for a couple minutes... at least until he accidentally tripped on the loose floorboard and landed smack-first on the face in comedic fashion.

"Smooth, Tony. Real smooth." The white-winged fairy rolled her eyes, but that didn't deter the fond, exasperated expression on her face.

"Oh well. At least I tried, honey." He just flashed a grin and gave her a thumbs-up as soon as he pulled himself up with a bow. Everyone else just laughed in good humor.

A couple more minutes were spent showing off random clothes, sipping through all their drinks, and laughing together like the dysfunctional and happy family they were. Too bad none of them were aware of one unexpected visitor...

"... _So_. I've seen what happened."

That distinguishable voice made everyone freeze in nervousness and fear as they peered at the direction of where it came from. _It was The Fury_. Somehow, he must've gotten inside while the other fairies were distracted with their party. Did he actually...?

"What's that supposed to mean, Fury? You've seen nothing! Like, nothing at all! Hahahaha!" Tony tried to cover up everyone's anxiety with a fib, but even he couldn't erase the nervous laugh he just released.

But The Fury was still persistent in what he was implying. "You guys had to sneak in and sewed up the rest of the commission, didn't you?" His only eye was narrowed and suspicion leaked into his voice.

All of a sudden, everything was silent. Dead silent. Right now, pretty much everyone, except for Pepper, was looking at the overseer with a mixture of fear, terror, shock, and dread. Pietro, on the other hand, felt a surge of intense anger and over-protectiveness, as if The Fury somehow _spotted_ the speedster fae watching everything he and the rest of the fairy folk did to help [Name].

"Oh yeah? Well, why does that even fucking matter to you, Fury?" He practically seethed at the ombre-winged superior. His fists were clenched tightly, his wings twitched in rage, and his legs were itching to run, fight, and kick. "I did what I had to do, but only because I love [Name] and I care for her. She was sick and overworked until today, so if none of us came to her rescue last night, her career and life would end up in ruins! _Do you even fucking want that_?!" Pietro's accent became heavier and his speech pattern was faster and less audible than it usually was, but he didn't care.

Unexpectedly, The Fury was stunned at what the male Sokovian fairy just said. His stern, serious demeanour dropped a little and he blinked in confusion. "That's not-"

"No, Pietro's right." Wanda stepped up in front of Pietro, as if she was slowly starting to share her twin brother's anger. Instead of her normal hazel eyes, they glowed into fierce red orbs while scarlet hex magic started to emit from her hands. "If you want to go through him or [Name], then you'll have to go through me."

"No," Steve then cut in, standing in front of Pietro and holding onto his star-spangled button shield for protection. "you'll have to go through _us_." One by one, each fairy stood in the defence of Pietro, as well as each other. Glaring at The Fury with defiance, they would either produce fairy dust from their hands, pull out their weapons and defence mechanisms, or just arranged themselves into a fighting stance. They meant seriousness, they meant mercy. If anyone's trying to diss off their cocky yet loyal friend, or the tailor they lived with under their protection, then so be it.

The Fury, however, just stood there and didn't do anything for what seemed to be a couple of minutes. And then he finally said with a defeated sigh, "I'd never thought I would say this but... it was the most noble thing I have ever seen."

...

Wait... what?

Well, nobody expected that now, did they? The fairies who stood in defence were all just stunned for words at what they just heard, especially Pietro. Even he didn't see that coming.

Pepper, who wasn't even involved in the whole thing, said, "Ok, what was going on here?"

But Tony just flew over to her side and patted her shoulder comfortingly. "Don't worry, Pep; I'll tell you later." Then he turned to The Fury and sassed, "Aww, what's up with you today, Fury? Is it your time of the month already?"

The one-eyed fairy just shot an unamused glare at Tony, who shrunk in defeat, before resuming his focus towards everyone else's gaze. The Fury announced with, "Yes, I admit I was rather...concerned about your involvement about the whole thing, and the outcome it might bring. It seemed rather selfish to split any of you, especially Pietro, from the proximity of [Name] without landing into harm's way. But judging from what I saw while watching over the rest of the [city/town/village] last night... finishing up the rest of her entire commission was the most reckless, stupid-ass decision I've witnessed, but all of you were really brave, determined, and strong-willed enough not to give up on her in a situation where her wellbeing was at stake. And for that, I am proud of all of you."

All the other fairies, including Pietro, were stunned at hearing this revelation, but then they practically whooped and cheered out loud as they heard the compliment that came afterwards. Pepper, however, just sighed in relief as she watched everyone else with a small smile; at least none of them had to face the wrath of the furious Fury.

"But what about [Name]? Even though she was commissioned to create the outfits, she still wasn't invited to the wedding _or_ the party..." Wanda then queried as she remembered that particular detail.

The Fury's lips just curled up into a devious smirk. "Oh, don't you worry about that. It's already been handled." A collection of 'phews' washed over the atmosphere from each and every fairy. They weren't sure _why_ they were relieved, exactly, but they didn't care. Then he turned specifically towards the silver-haired Sokovian fae and told him, "Kid, if you really love this human girl, then you can continue looking after her whenever you wished."

"...OhmygodOhmygodThankyouuuuFuryyyyyy~!" Pietro's previous anger had already dissipated into happiness rather quickly. He flitted around all over the place in his joy before giving a surprised Fury a rather brief hug before letting go with a cheeky, childish grin.

" _However_ ," The Fury had to enunciate very clearly. "I do have a proposition for you."

This statement was enough to spark up Pietro's interest. His aerodynamic wings actually stilled in a curious kind of eagerness as he looked up expectedly at the overseer. Does that 'proposition' had to do with [Name]?

...

...

...

"...I'm listening..."

* * *

Luckily for [Name], the last buttonhole was finally fixed and finished. Now she just had to find the mayor and his wife-to-be so that she could deliver the jacket, waistcoat, and wedding dress in person. Even though the thought of not being invited still bothered her, the tailor didn't seem to care about that much anymore. After all, she actually contributed to the wedding somehow so it didn't matter.

The only problem was finding the [city/town/village] hall where the couple were supposed to prepare for their big day. Her arms were currently holding all three pieces of the commission, which were wrapped up in a plastic covering to protect them from damage. Running in and out the fast as she could, the girl was struggling to maintain her sense of direction. First you go left, then turn right, and then turn left and run straight...

"Excuse me, pardon me, coming th- _oof_!" Too bad [Name] couldn't even watch where she was going, because the next thing she knew, she ended up bumping onto a very hard chest, which was blocking her way like a brick wall. She fell down and ended up landing on the snow-covered pavement.

"Fuck, I'm so sorry-! Hey, are you alright?" An accented voice lilted somewhere in concern.

The tailor groaned as she rubbed her arm to get rid of any pain. "Yeah, I'm- fine..." [Name]'s eyes widened at the man standing in front of her. He was a little taller than her, with a lean, muscular body of an Olympic swimmer. As it was cold outside, he wore a gray woollen coat, a black top with thin neon-coloured lightning bolts, blue ski pants, and white winter boots. There were some stray snowflakes clinging onto his messy silvery-white hair with dark brown roots, but he didn't care about that, for his electric-blue eyes kept watching her attentively.

At this point, she tried to ignore the small blush heating up her cheeks in favour of trying to stand up again. Unfortunately, she failed when her foot slipped on a patch of ice and forced her onto the ground again.

The man laughed in amusement before giving her an outstretched hand. "Need some help over there?"

His voice was low, velvety, and accented with something foreign, but also had overtones of cockiness, mischief, and sensuality. She never heard a person spoke that way before; it took a lot of effort not to buckle down her knees just from the way he spoke. "S-Sure." The girl nodded. And with a small hoist up, [Name] found herself back on her feet with the commissioned outfits still intact.

The silver-haired male was quick to observe the covered bundle under one of her arms. "What are you trying to carry over there~?" He drawled out.

"What, this?" [Name] gestured at the outfits, which were protected by the plastic. "I'm actually carrying the mayor's new jacket and waistcoat, as well as his fiancé's dress, because-"

"They'll be having their wedding and Christmas party today." He finished her sentence with a smirk.

"Yeah, I- wait... how did you know this? Do you actually, um.. live here? In [Name of City/Town/Village], I mean?" She hesitantly asked. It sounded like a dumb question, but [Name] couldn't help her curiosity today.

He laughed again, which chimed like bells, but then replied with pink, flustered cheeks, "Actually, I- uh... I just moved to this place a few days ago; I'm really new here." Ok, now that sentence was said in hesitance, which was a contradictory to his usual confidence. "I'll be going there later today."

Even though it shouldn't be a big deal for [Name], somehow, hearing him mention that felt saddening and unfair. Mainly because 1. you wanted to have some Christmas fun, even if she couldn't visit her family for the holiday and 2. this guy was basically a newcomer; how the hell was _he_ invited?! The tailor shook those thoughts away; she didn't want to feel petty enough as it is. "Oh... good luck with that then." She just said before rearranging the bundle in the arms. She would've took off to find the [city/town/village] hall again when suddenly, the man was in front of her again by a flash.

"Wait! I can deliver those things for you! Trust me, I'm fast; faster than the speed of sound." He boasted with persistent impatience. [Name] tilted her head at that; she highly doubted a normal person could run like that, so he was probably exaggerating.

"Not until you tell me your name first." She insisted.

"Oh, right. Where are my manners?" The gorgeous man lightly grabbed the girl's right hand and brushed his lips against it. "I'm Pietro. What's yours?"

"[Name]." Replied said tailor.

"[Name]?" Pietro repeated it as if he was testing it for himself. "That's a beautiful name; for a beautiful woman, that is." He told her with a flirtatious wink.

Damn it, her cheeks were starting to get pink again. Still, [Name] decided to accept his offer by handing the commissioned outfits to him. She just wondered how fast he could really be...

To her surprise and confusion, she saw nothing but a blur of silver, a gust of wind, and wispy tendrils. The tailor kept looking left and right, all over the place, before the speedy blur transformed back into that same man she met minutes ago as soon as it came back. Her creations were gone and nothing about him was disarranged. Needless to say, [Name] was amazed and flabbergasted at the same time; she wondered if the whole [city/town/village] also saw it.

"What? You didn't see that coming?" Pietro mocked in his accent, which made him sound more sinful at this point. It was like he's trying to make her panties melt away.

The young woman would've rolled her eyes at this, but she just answered honestly with, "No, I didn't. But thank you for your help. I'm just gonna-"

Before [Name] could even turn back around to go back home, something red and green floated in the wind and landed in front of her face with a _twap_! She managed to peel it off before recognizing the familiar holiday colours of the mayor's Christmas party invitation. She thought that someone threw the envelope away as trash, or a mailman lost it, but when she flipped it over, _the envelope had her name on it_. It said "[Name] [Last name] in the mayor's calligraphy. To her surprise, the envelope itself contained what felt like stiff paper. She slowly unopened it to find...

 _The invitation_?!

"Holy crap! I'm invited, too?!" She couldn't help but to shout out in astonishment. First the finished outfits, then this guy, and now this?! Somehow, this Christmas wasn't so bad after all.

Pietro, who was sneakily peering into the contents of the invitation [Name] was holding, just remarked, "So it looks like I'm not the only one who's going, then~"

[Name] almost forgot that he was even still there; what did he want with her anyway? She just turned to quirk an eyebrow at him, as she inquired, "What are you implying?"

"Wanna go to that Christmas party with me? I-I mean, unless you're planning to go with somebody else o-o-or you're too busy-"

The tailor just giggled at what he was trying to do. "Pietro, it's ok! I guess we can try going there together, but..." [Name] bit her lip as she suddenly realized something.

"But?"

"But I don't have any nice clothes for the party; not even a cute dress or anything!" She confessed with a sigh, shoving her hands into her pockets while looking at the ground. Even though [Name]'s a tailor, she didn't have a lot of clothes in her own closet, despite making or fixing everyone else's. Sure, she mostly got casual and preppy clothing, but not stuff like cocktail dresses or ballgowns. It actually sucked.

Admittedly, even Pietro didn't know this. But that didn't stop him from having another idea. With a mischievous smirk, he suddenly lifted the young woman, bridal style, and held her close to his chest.

"H-Hey! What are you doing?!" [Name] flailed a little at the sudden action, but Pietro just grabbed her securely.

"Taking you somewhere." He just simply told her. "Now hang on!"

Then the next thing she knew, Pietro carried her off in his superspeed without a trace.

Despite that part, this won't be an ending, but a new beginning.

* * *

 **Eugene:** Ok, yeah; I know Christmas was already over, but I just had to get this last part up before Singer of Water's birthday comes up. So this chapter's like her late Christmas/Valentine's Day/birthday-thing, hehehe... ^^" Oh! I originally thought of writing an omake for this, which had the Christmas party, but I don't know... do you guys want me to make it? If you want to, I can try to do that.

And in case if anybody's wondering; yes, I took a lot of inspiration from the Disney Fairies of Pixie Hollow, but I was also inspired by Cicely Mary Barker's Flower Fairies and a real-life event in which The Tailor of Gloucester was based on; there was this 19th century tailor named John Prichard, who was commissioned by the mayor to make a suit for him. Then one Monday morning, he returned to his shop to find a completely-sewn suit waiting for him, save for one unfinished buttonhole, which had a note that said, "No more twist". John Prichard originally thought the fairies did it, but it turned out to be his two kind-hearted assistants who had finished the work during the night. Even though brown mice was used in Beatrix Potter's story, I decided to use the original concept of fairies because I wanted to explore how they would've handled this kind of situation today, but with a Marvel twist. Surprisingly, I was told by Kaloomte-Cassy on deviantArt that no-one has ever written a female tailor before (most tailors by trade were male), plus I was the first person to write a male fairy falling for a female human in a reader-insert, as opposed to the usual female-fairy-falls-in-love-with-a-male-human trope. So unintentionally, I reinvented the wheel over there. :P


End file.
